Discover the types of breast surgery

Thousands of women each year undergo some form of breast surgery.

These procedures can improve your self-image, address back and neck pain, or help you feel more comfortable following your breast cancer treatment.

5 Main Categories of Breast Surgery

  • Breast augmentation, in which saline or gel implants increase breast size
  • Breast correction to address breast asymmetry
  • Breast reduction to decrease the overall size of the breasts when they are disproportionate to body structure
  • Breast lifts to restore fullness to the breasts
  • Breast reconstruction to reconstruct the breast after it has been removed or disfigured.

Many patients are surprised to learn that breast surgeries are performed as outpatient procedures. Breast augmentation, for example, is generally performed through short, unobtrusive incisions beneath the breast.

Learn more about the breast surgery process, your first consultation, as well as risks associated with these procedures in a blog post by Dr. Nathalie Lavallee, MD, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at UPMC Susquehanna.

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Editor's Note: This article was originally published on , and was last reviewed on .

About UPMC

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, UPMC is a world-renowned health care provider and insurer. We operate 40 hospitals and 800 doctors’ offices and outpatient centers, with locations throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, West Virginia, and internationally. We employ 4,900 physicians, and we are leaders in clinical care, groundbreaking research, and treatment breakthroughs. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside as one of the nation’s best hospitals in many specialties and ranks UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh on its Honor Roll of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals. We are dedicated to providing Life Changing Medicine to our communities.